Abstract
Objectives
Excessive consumption of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) with western-style diet in vogue is increasingly seen as a potential cause of aging and metabolic diseases. Several berries contain appreciable quantities of bioactive phytonutrients, including phenolic compounds, which are potentially good candidates as AGE inhibitors. This parallel double-blind intervention study investigated whether the Vaccinium Myrtillus extract supplement is able to reduce the AGEs levels in humans. (clinicaltrials.gov NCT03316612)
Methods
Seventy-four healthy subjects were randomly assigned to an intervention group (4 tablets per day, containing 600 mg Vaccinium Myrtillus extract, n = 39) versus placebo group (tablets with the same appearance but without the berry extract, n = 35). We evaluated dietary intake, sleep, exercise, mental state, and anthropometric characteristics over the 3 months of intervention. Plasma soluble receptor for AGE (sRAGE) levels were determined by ELISA (R&D). Plasma protein-bound AGEs, including Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) and Nε-(carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL), were determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
Results
Dietary intake, sleep, exercise, mental state, anthropometric characteristics, and plasma sRAGE levels were not changed during the intervention in two groups. CML levels [1137.5 (918.5–1493.0) vs. 840.9 (757.4–953.8) μg/L, P < 0.001] decreased significantly in the intervention group compared with the placebo group. However, we did not observe a significant change of CEL levels [201.9 (168.5–236.3) vs.176.8 (147.1–212.6) μg/L, P = 0.067] in the intervention group.
Conclusions
Our results suggest that plasma protein-bound AGEs can be reduced partly by Vaccinium Myrtillus extract supplement. As widely available, safe and nutritious foods, berries with rich phenolic metabolites (particularly anthocyanins) represent a promising dietary intervention worthy of further investigation.
Funding Sources
Nutrition Scientific Research Foundation of BY-HEALTH.
Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs